What makes a skirt manly v feminine

[straightfairy]

It is a fair question. I agree with many here that logically clothing styles are genderless. Assuming you, like myself, live in a society with cultural and fashion conventions and wish to navigate that while exercising some individuality or freedom; then I offer the following:

Masculine skirts -
Belt loops (a nice sense of security)
Large pockets (great)
Dull colours and unpatterned except for tartan or camo. (Duh)
Long pleats are OK
frayed hem is OK
Heavy fabric
Not too much flare
Front fly zipper (what for?)
Length just above knee to just below knee
Kilt or kilt style

Feminine:
Bright and cheerful
Light and floaty material (yay what fun)
Small or fake pockets (damn)
No belt loops (assuming a small waist and large hips)
Frills, ruffles and kick pleats
Flared hem
Side or rear fastening
Length just below crotch to just above floor

I'm with you on MOST of these..
I agree that most items on both lists are more a matter of our conditioning than anything else, and some of the items are also part of a man's stereotypical needs/wants for practicality.
However,

Patterns can be male/female depending on the design (which is also a matter of opinion). I prefer geometric patterns, but rarely flowery patterns.
pleats are fine, but I tend to regard narrow pleats (under 1"/2.5cm( as feminine.
Belts can heavily influence how masculine/feminine any garment looks.
I prefer front fly zipper (if there is one). I do have skirts with side/rear ones and find it's the reduced practicality that bugs me.
Length - front just above knee to ankle length, depending on style, for my preference.
Dark/light colour is entirely down to personal preference. I think the cut/style of the garment and the garments it is matched with, will have more impact on its apparent gender than simply the dominant colour.
Light / heavy weight fabrics I prefer more to ambient warmth and use than anything.

[Grok]

As for dull colors, traditional kilts, and sarongs, can be exceptions to this.

As for length, I think that long works with robe like garments.

[Pdxfashionpioneer]

What makes a skirt manly rather than feminine is the person wearing it and how they wear it.

Before I found the Skirt Café, I found an article that stated many women are attracted to men who can appear comfortable in public in a skirt or dress. They see such men as self-confident and comfortable in their own skin.

When I started going out in public I had some pretty strict rules as to what I would wear and what I wouldn't. My basic standard being anything that one could expect to see in the Men's Department 50 years' hence when society accepts men in skirts as normal and there are enough men wearing them as to create a profitable market. Hence, solids or abstract prints, sheaths, skirted suits, shirtdresses, maxidresses, sweaterdresses and maybe wrapdresses. Since then I've added some florals, generally large and more styles of dresses plus blouses.

My current standard is to wear things that feel good, make me feel good and that I can feel good about wearing, with the occasional splash of an item that pushes my envelope. Sometimes I step back from that ledge, more often my definition of what I'm comfortable wearing in public gets expanded.

And for me "in public" includes church, running errands, getting my car worked on and most recently, working as a temporary Accountant III at a Fortune 100 corporation. Because I knew I would be there for only a short amount of time, most of the days I worked there I was in a dress and a few more I was in a skirt.

In general, stop looking for skirts that can pass for shorts, they fool almost no one, except probably yourself. If no one says anything about your denim or khaki skirt it's probably not because they mistook it for a pair of shorts, it's probably because they really don't give a damn what you're wearing so long as it is clean and in good taste. And you're not hitting people over the head with what a rugged individualist you are. Just be yourself.

You'll probably find you're a more likeable self because for the first time in your life you're being entirely at ease with yourself. You're no longer struggling to pretend to be normal. You've accepted you're as normal as anyone else and that you're proud of it.

Stop trying to convince yourself and anyone who will listen that you're at top dead center of the distribution curve of masculinity. I don't believe any of us are and at any rate, no one else will believe it OR CARE. No sir, what you have is augmented masculinity; masculinity leavened with enough femininity to go out in public in a skirt and wear it like a royal robe!

As the poster for "To Wong Foo with Love" said, "Attitude is everything!"

[Grok]

As for patterns, the kikoy is an exception. Colored stripes. But maybe these seem to work because the garment could be regarded as beach wear?

[Gordon]

What makes a skirt manly rather than feminine is the person wearing it and how they wear it.

Before I found the Skirt Café, I found an article that stated many women are attracted to men who can appear comfortable in public in a skirt or dress. They see such men as self-confident and comfortable in their own skin.

When I started going out in public I had some pretty strict rules as to what I would wear and what I wouldn't. My basic standard being anything that one could expect to see in the Men's Department 50 years' hence when society accepts men in skirts as normal and there are enough men wearing them as to create a profitable market. Hence, solids or abstract prints, sheaths, skirted suits, shirtdresses, maxidresses, sweaterdresses and maybe wrapdresses. Since then I've added some florals, generally large and more styles of dresses plus blouses.

My current standard is to wear things that feel good, make me feel good and that I can feel good about wearing, with the occasional splash of an item that pushes my envelope. Sometimes I step back from that ledge, more often my definition of what I'm comfortable wearing in public gets expanded.

And for me "in public" includes church, running errands, getting my car worked on and most recently, working as a temporary Accountant III at a Fortune 100 corporation. Because I knew I would be there for only a short amount of time, most of the days I worked there I was in a dress and a few more I was in a skirt.

In general, stop looking for skirts that can pass for shorts, they fool almost no one, except probably yourself. If no one says anything about your denim or khaki skirt it's probably not because they mistook it for a pair of shorts, it's probably because they really don't give a damn what you're wearing so long as it is clean and in good taste. And you're not hitting people over the head with what a rugged individualist you are. Just be yourself.

You'll probably find you're a more likeable self because for the first time in your life you're being entirely at ease with yourself. You're no longer struggling to pretend to be normal. You've accepted you're as normal as anyone else and that you're proud of it.

Stop trying to convince yourself and anyone who will listen that you're at top dead center of the distribution curve of masculinity. I don't believe any of us are and at any rate, no one else will believe it OR CARE. No sir, what you have is augmented masculinity; masculinity leavened with enough femininity to go out in public in a skirt and wear it like a royal robe!

As the poster for "To Wong Foo with Love" said, "Attitude is everything!"

Very well said and I agree 100%.

[Caultron]

I think the challenge is not so much wearing a skirt that looks masculine, but how to look masculine even through you're wearing a skirt. And that's a matter of attitude, not fashion.

I do, however, stay away from flowery, lacy, fluffy, flimsy, and micro-length skirts.

[Daryl]

No sir, what you have is augmented masculinity; masculinity leavened with enough femininity to go out in public in a skirt and wear it like a royal robe!

"Augmented masculinity", I love it!

[Daryl]

Oh yes androgeny is subversive. If only Skirtcraft made skirts that we could wear around our waists (not hips) without our lack of actual androgeny being apparent.

Cinch the waist in a little bit and, voilà, it rides at your waist.
I rather like the skirt to be a bit low-riding because even at 185 pounds I seem to have a bit of a pot

How does riding low help? That's completely unintuitive to me.

Different styles for different bodies I guess. My waist is not my narrow part. Cinching my belt in means either squeezing hard on my flesh to keep my skirt (or pants) up despite being on the downslope of my globe, or wearing my waistband around my upper thighs or under my breasts (neither of which is good). Right at the equator of my globe (pretty much my natural waist) the degree of cinching needed is at its minimum and a well-fitted garment will probably stay up without any belt at all.

The only reason I haven't bought a Skirtcraft skirt yet is that they are much too short for wearing around the waist (except perhaps on short dudes). Otherwise I would probably have at least two already. Given that a lot of men have more than a "bit" of a pot, I think that's a huge blindspot for them. Yuge.

[crfriend]

How does riding low help? That's completely unintuitive to me.

It's a quirk of my build, and you're absolutely right about the "different styles for different bodies". On my carcass, I can hang a skirt off my hips and have the front of the skirt fall very close to "the anatomy" (which can be troublesome for tight stuff but not for styles with a good flare), or I can cinch things in a bit and raise the waistline of the skirt to my natural waist (which is where the pot is centred but said pot is not so huge as to alter the fact that my natural waist is my narrowest part) which has the effect of putting the front of the skirt squarely on the pot thus shoving it forwards to clear "the anatomy" which works very well with tight/tubular stuff.

In considering the above, I count myself very fortunate.

The moral of the story is, "Work with what you've got."

[Grok]

her.

I was more looking at it from the standpoint that if we want to make a massive change in the way skirts can be worn mainstream, and viewed by everyone in society, it may potentially be easier to start with getting as many men wearing as masculine skirts as possible, as this would be easier for society to accept initially, then as society comes around to the idea and is more used to seeing this in their everyday lives, and it then comes across as 'normal', then start to push the boundaries with the more feminine styles etc.

At least some of the characteristics listed seem (loosely) based on today's menswear. In effect, basing skirts on mens trousers, to minimize cognitive dissonance. This suggestion has appeared in previous threads.

I don't know, maybe it would work.

Meanwhile, a step beyond this will already exist, in the form of kilts.

[Grok]

If you wanted to popularize a new design, I think you could take a hint from bloomers-a skirt intended as athletic wear. I'm thinking of a skirt intended for hiking/running. This might appeal to mens' interest in sports/athletic activities/outdoor activities. It would also be an excuse for men to try something different.

Another hint is the Macabi skirt As I understand it, the garment was not designed with male customers in mind. The Macabi was intended for women who like outdoor activities such as fishing and/or hiking. But...that overlaps the activities that men enjoy. So, some men expressed an interest in the Macabi.

I would imagine that such as skirt would have sturdy construction, and good pockets. Dull in color.

BTW, I do think that offering an excuse is crucial if you want to persuade many men to try a skirt. Otherwise, I think only tiny slivers of the male population will be willing to defy the taboo.

[Grok]

I think the challenge is not so much wearing a skirt that looks masculine, but how to look masculine even through you're wearing a skirt. And that's a matter of attitude, not fashion.

I do, however, stay away from flowery, lacy, fluffy, flimsy, and micro-length skirts.

The more frilly the skirt, the harder it would be to pull this off.

So, yeah, I too think in terms of plainer garments.

[crfriend]

The more frilly the skirt, the harder it would be to pull this off.

That's primarily down to how much chutzpah, confidence, and affability one presents. It's about vastly more than just the skirt -- it's the entire package.

Don't paint yourself into a corner unless you like standing in corners.

[Grok]

Was thinking at it from the way women first started to wear pants, with distinctively feminine characteristics, always with a side zip instead of a front fly, always frilly and with flower patterns on them, then eventually once society was comfortable with it they adapted all the masculine features such that now a pair of jeans today would be almost identical regardless of gender.

Women being subject to fashion, I wouldn't be surprised if those early outfits were to come back into fashion.

[crfriend]

Women being subject to fashion, I wouldn't be surprised if those early outfits were to come back into fashion.

Femme pants are long since passée. They've moved on to men's styles now. Take a look at the zippers -- virtually all of them left-over-right frontal jobs. This also makes it cheaper for the third-world sweatshops to produce them as they don't need multiple patterns.

In any event, it's not about critiquing what the gals are wearing today, it's about what men might decide to take a shot at wearing -- and in this realm there are no "rules" yet. We have the power to make it what we want it to be. Why constrain ourselves slavishly to the same wretched fabrics, cuts, colours, and styles we've been clothed in roughly since birth?